Judicial Engagement Initiative
The Fines and Fees Justice Center’s (FFJC) Judicial Engagement Initiative works directly with judges and courts.
Led by FFJC’s Co-founder and Senior Advisor, retired Judge Lisa Foster, and guided by an advisory board of judges, the Initiative provides free training and technical assistance to judicial officers and courts interested in implementing meaningful reform.
Our goal is to improve court fine and fee practices – increasing accountability, community safety and court efficiency.
Ability to Pay Tools and Resources
Bench cards are an easy and efficient way for judges to assess a person’s ability to pay and determine whether – and by how much – to reduce or waive their fines, fees, costs, or other monetary sanctions.
FFJC’s Judicial Engagement Initiative works with courts throughout the country to create bench cards tailored to the jurisdiction’s laws and preferred practices.
Bench cards often work best with a simple financial form that can be completed in court. FFJC worked with Ideas42, a firm that uses behavioral science to create scalable solutions for the justice system, to create a model financial form that is easy to understand and use. The form provides the financial information a judge needs to easily determine a person’s ability to pay.
Bench cards and financial forms can also be combined. FFJC’s Judicial Engagement team worked with Judge Steven Duble in Harris County, Texas to devise an easy to use form. It has also been translated into Spanish.
Bench Cards and Affidavits
Get in Touch
Are you a judge or court official looking to learn more about implementing equitable ability-to-pay practices? Please contact Judge Foster to learn more about our free training programs and technical assistance.